This invention relates to electrical interconnect pins of the type that include an edge clip at one end of the pin for attaching the pin to the edge of a printed circuit substrate. More particularly, this invention relates to an interconnect pin that has a zero insertion force edge clip that is suitable for attaching the pin to the edge of a flexible printed circuit substrate or "flex circuit".
An electronic module can be constructed by attaching electrical components to a flex circuit. The flex circuit usually consists of a thin sheet of polyimide film onto which metallic conductors are bonded. The components, which are typically leadless, are then soldered to the metallic conductors at appropriate locations. The flex circuit is typically folded in accordian fashion and then inserted into a housing. To interconnect this flex circuit module to a main circuit board, pins may be attached to the edge of the flex circuit. These pins can then be removably inserted into mating sockets which are attached to the main circuit board.